Wind power plant comprising a seawater desalination system

ABSTRACT

A wind power plant with a tower, a gondola carried by the latter so as to rotate about a horizontal axis and a rotor mounted in the gondola, the tower containing an evaporator and a vapor compressor mechanically driven by the rotor by a gear.

PRIOR APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application bases priority on International Application No.PCT/DE02/01918, filed May 28, 2002, which in turn bases priority onGerman Application No. DE 101 26 222.1, filed May 30, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a wind power plant having a tower, agondola carried by the latter, at least one rotor blade and a rotor hubmounted in the gondola.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Seawater desalination systems are known, which desalinateseawater, usually employing fossil energy sources. Even in the case ofelectrically operated systems working according to the reverse osmosisprocess, and the process involving evaporation and mechanical vaporcompression, normally use electric power generated using fossil fuels.

[0006] DE 200 13 613 U1 discloses a wind power plant cooperating with awater purification system, and in whose tower is located a drinkingwater storage container. The water purification system supplying thestorage container with drinking water is operated by means of electricpower, which is generated in the conventional manner in a wind powerplant.

[0007] DE 29 28 392 C2 describes a seawater desalination system withvapour compressor, in which the evaporator pipes are positionedhorizontally. The vapor compressor is operated by means of an electricmotor.

[0008] EP 1 182 170 A1 describes a wind power plant, whose towercontains a water evaporator system. Here again, the rotatory energy ofthe rotor is initially converted into electrical power, which is thenused for operating the water purification system.

[0009] DE 36 13 871 C2 describes a method for operating a seawaterdesalination system by using wind power. Also in this case, the windpower is initially converted into electrical power, and this is thenused for operating a steam compressor system.

[0010] The known wind power plants constructed for the treatment orpurification of seawater suffer from the disadvantage that they convertthe rotatory energy of the rotor into electrical power, and use thelatter for water purification. This procedure is relatively expensive,involves high capital and operating costs, and suffers from poorefficiency due to the repeated energy conversion.

[0011] The problem of the invention is to provide a wind power plant,which is able to desalinate seawater in order to produce drinking waterwith high efficiency and using a simple structure.

[0012] According to the invention, this problem is solved by thefeatures of claim 1, while the subclaims provide advantageousdevelopments of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The essence of the invention is to directly use the essentialpart of the available kinematic energy of a wind power plant (i.e.without initially generating electric power) for operating the vaporcompressor of a seawater desalination system.

[0014] The rotatory energy of the wind power plant rotor is transferreddirectly or indirectly by means of a miter gear to units of a vaporcompressor system located in the tower of the wind power plant.

[0015] The invention makes it possible to use the translatory windenergy converted into rotatory energy with high efficiency for waterdesalination purposes, without it being initially converted intoelectric power.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the wind power plant having aseawater desalination system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] The wind power plant comprises a rotor, generally with threerotor blades 10, a blade hub 12 and a blade adjusting device 14. Therotor 10, 12, 14 is mounted in a gondola installed in rotary manner on atower 72. The gondola receives a miter gear 18, which transfers themechanical rotatory energy supplied by means of the essentiallyhorizontally positioned rotor shaft 16, and produced by the rotor bymeans of a coupling 22 to a vapor compressor 26 mounted in a bearing 24.The gondola also contains a generator 20 driven by means of the gear 18,and which supplies electric power by means of a not shown buffer batteryto the not shown regulating devices and lift pump 58.

[0018] Below the vapor compressor 26 is positioned a falling filmevaporator 30, which has a plurality of vertically standing heatexchanger tubes 34. Below the falling film evaporator 30 is positioned acollecting tank 36. The falling film evaporator 30 is surrounded by aheating jacket 32, which is outwardly thermally insulated to the towerwall and to the bottom of which is connected a distillate collectingtank 38.

[0019] Below the tanks 36, 38 is provided a heat exchanger 42 throughwhich is guided on one side a seawater inflow 40 leading to the fallingfilm evaporator 30, and on the other side the outflow from the tanks 36,38.

[0020] Below the heat exchanger 42 is provided a maintenance platform74, below which there is a distillate tank 48, which receives thedistillate by means of a line 44 after passing through the heatexchanger 42, and which is connected by means of a distillate line 50 toa drinking water tank located outside the tower. Below the heatexchanger 42 is provided an entrance door 64 giving access to a bottomflange 70 of tower 72.

[0021] The seawater 52 to be desalinated passes by means of a filter 54into a seawater reservoir 56 in the foundation part 68 of tower 72, fromwhich it is raised by a lift pump 58 to the level of the falling filmevaporator 30.

[0022] A tank 62 is used for chlorinating the water to be purified, anda tank 60 for supplying an antiscalant and a foam inhibiting oil forpreventing foam formation.

[0023] During the operation of the system, seawater is supplied by meansof filter 54 to the seawater reservoir 56. The lift pump 58 pumps thewater upwards through the water inflow, the seawater is chlorinated fordisinfection purposes, while an antiscalant for preventing salt depositsand for defoaming can be added to the water.

[0024] For preheating purposes, the seawater is passed through the heatexchanger 42, which is the subject to the action of the hot distillate,and concentrates flow from the evaporator 30. The seawater preheatedclose to the evaporation temperature is passed to the level of the headof the evaporator 30, and flows down again in the pipes of saidevaporator 30. As a result of the heat of the vapour or steam condensingon the other side of the pipes of evaporator 30, part of the waterflowing down as a film is evaporated. This vapor is sucked up by thecompressor 26 and, therefore, brought to a higher pressure and,consequently, temperature level. The thus produced steam can be used asheating steam, and is, in turn, passed to the evaporator where itcondenses on the pipes and gives off the latent heat to the liquid film.The distillate obtained in condensate form is collected in thedistillate collecting tank 38 and passed by means of the heat exchanger42 into the distillate tank 48, and from there by means of line 50 to adrinking water storage container outside the system.

[0025] The concentrated seawater, i.e. the brine, is collected by theconcentrate collecting tank 36, is passed through the heat exchanger 42so that it gives off its heat to the after-flowing seawater and is thenreturned to the sea.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:
 5. A wind power plant in combination witha seawater desalination plant, the wind power plant comprising: a) atower having a set of rotor blades mounted along a top portion of thetower on a rotor hub, the rotor blades rotating in response to windacting upon the blades; b) a gondola mounted behind the rotor bladeswithin the tower top portion, the gondola rotating about a horizontalaxis in reaction to movement of the rotor blades; c) a rotor shaftconnected to a miter gear mounted within the gondola cooperating with awater purification system located within the tower; d) the waterpurification system having a vapor compressor system with an evaporatorlocated in the tower, a compressor mechanically driven by the miter gearof the wind power plant, a distillate tank positioned below theevaporator and a heat exchanger for preheating seawater that is passedto the evaporator.
 6. The wind power plant in combination with theseawater desalination plant according to claim 5, wherein the evaporatorlocated within the tower is positioned parallel to a vertical axis ofthe tower.
 7. The wind power plant in combination with the seawaterdesalination plant according to claim 5, wherein the evaporator is afalling film evaporator.
 8. The wind power plant in combination with theseawater desalination plant according to claim 5, further comprising agenerator driven by the rotor hub.
 9. The wind power plant incombination with the seawater desalination plant according to claim 5,wherein the heat exchanger is positioned intermediate the distillatetank and the evaporator.